In the current information age, information technology (IT) tools for managing files and data are extensively used in enterprises and other organizations, in order to store and transfer electronic documents and data over a network.
A document management system (for example, DocumentMall) can provide users with remote access (that is, through a network) to software applications and related services that would otherwise have to be installed on the user's local computer. For example, such a document management system may be configured to store documents as electronic files in a network-connected (and secure) document storage device, in order to protect the documents from theft or loss and to avoid unnecessarily occupying storage space local to the user computer or local computing environment, while making such files available on demand. The documents may include voluminous and/or sensitive material, and may be configured to provide searchable databases of all forms of legal, medical, financial, educational, scientific, and marketing documents for individuals and/or companies via a network.
A conventional document management system typically includes a plurality of application functions, such as a document registration function to register a specified document in a document database of the document management system, and a search function to search document data in a document storage part of the document management system based on the specified search terms. FIG. 1A depicts an example of such a document management system 100, where client terminals 12-1 through 12-4 may upload and download documents to/from a document storage part of the document management system 15, via the network 11.
There is a drawback, however, in that user interfaces for utilizing such application functions of a conventional document management system are often static and inflexible, with the same set of rigid options presented to all users. For instance, a user of a search user interface is often forced to browse through all of the possible search options that the universe of users may wish to access. This is despite the fact that certain user or groups of users may be interested in consistently utilizing a specific set of services of a search function or other application function of the document management system.
Furthermore, there is another drawback in that a search result list of a search function of conventional document management system may not be returned to a user after the search results list is completely compiled, but instead the search result list may be continuously updated with further documents in a ‘streaming’ manner as these further documents are discovered. Thus, a user viewing a search results list at a given time may be mistaken as to the completeness of the search results list, since the list may continue to be updated with further documents as they are retrieved by the search function of the conventional document management system. Therefore, great inconvenience is caused to the user.
There exists a need for an improved document management system which is not as difficult and time-consuming to use.